Perhaps you’ve seen some famous celebrities like Kim Kardashian and Angelina Jolie tried out micro needling at beauty clinic and that got you interested in such therapy, but what is it? Does it actually work? Can it really solve all the skin problems like acne scars, wrinkles, dark spots, and even cellulite??

Micro needling has been around for a while. It’s an aesthetic medical procedure that uses tiny, sterilized needles to repeated puncture the surface of the skin. The needling therapy method is commonly used by certified aestheticians and dermatologists to treat various skin conditions. You might have heard it in other names such as skin needling or collagen induction therapy.

History

Here’s a little history:

1962 – French doctor Michael Pistor first introduced Micro needling therapy. 1990 – Andre Camirand MD, a Montreal plastic surgeon, experimented different approach to treat post-surgical scars by using tattoo guns without ink. 1996 – Des Fernandes, a South African plastic surgeon with MD, introduced skin needling on a roller to treat wrinkles at the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS) congress in Taipei.

So you see, it has been around for a while. Through out time, micro needling therapy has been more commonly seen in numerous dermatologist’s office, SPA, skin clinic, and certified beauty center.

Device

The needling therapy uses different type of devices.

In clinics, there is the micro needling pen like Collagen P.I.N.™ that contains 12 tiny micro needles, then there is MicroPen™ Elite, a cordless micro needling pen that uses patented high-speed motor, and DermaFrac™, a newer machine that creates micro channels on the skin by puncturing needles simultaneously, somewhat like tattoo gun.

Micro needle pen is usually used by certified plastic surgeons, beauty aesthetician, practitioners, and dermatologists on their patient’s skin by gliding in one direction in the area that needs to be treated. Base of the patient’s skin condition, the system often pair with topical solutions and combines cystal-free microdermabrasion or LED therapy to infuse products into the channels of the skin.

Practitioners control the depth of the needle puncture to open the epidermal layer of the skin, body or scalp. The device can promote collagen stimulation, improve fine lines, wrinkles, skin texture, and help reduce acne scars in series of 4 to 6 treatment sessions.

At-home treatments uses much simpler device called skin roller, derma roller, or needle roller. These device are easily found online.

Typically, the needling rollers will have rows of small fine needles in variety range from 0.25 to 3.0 mm. The difference in size and length of the needle is aim for targeting different skin area to treat it’s conditions. Buyers will have to learn to pick what’s the best needle size for their skin according to their desired skin treatment.

Whether in professional clinics or at home, these needling devices should be properly sterilized with medical grade solutions to kill bacteria before and after use. If you are performing your own treatment at home, you can use disinfectant solutions like Cidex, wavicide, barbacide, or alcohol from drugstores or beauty shop before and after use of the device.

Needles will be worn out throughout time, just like any other razors or scissors. It’s best to replace the device after 2 to 3 months to ensure the skin receives sharp micro needle therapy treatments effectively. You wouldn’t want blunt needles puncturing your skin, would you?

Now, if you are receiving treatments in clinic, you should always ask the technicians any questions you don’t understand, it’s their responsibility to educate their patients.

If you are performing at-home, make sure you do your research to understand the procedures before performing the therapy so you will not have any surprises.

Results

As everyone’s skin condition reacts differently to the needling therapy, it usually takes 3 to 4 treatment sessions to see the skin collagen regrowth results. Depending on the needles used, most people reacts with some redness but quickly recover within few hours or overnight. The range of the treatment can take from 1 to 3 months, and if you pair the routine with skin products such as Hyaluronic acid or vitamin C serums, you can increase skin healing and achieve better results.

Derma roller has been rated to at 84% in RealSelf and and up to 4.3 stars in MakeupAlley. Some people are skeptic about puncturing holes in your skin to stimulate collagen, some others has tried out the derma roller themselves and shared their skin transformation. I encourage you to read other reviewer’s experience, why they recommend it? Why some oppose to it? Did they even try it? Know that you should learn and educate yourself so you can evaluate if you should try it or not.

Whether in clinic or at home, you are fully aware that the device must be sanitized and your face must be washed properly with facial cleanser before you perform the procedure. Bacteria infection is the #1 cause for skin infections, so you want to follow the important procedures to prevent any possible risk for infection.

Skin has it’s natural cell regenerating cycle, that’s why we encourage exfoliation to get rid of dead skin cells. Micro needling therapy is another method to stimulate skin regeneration. What I find helpful is to understand the procedure fully before I perform the therapy at home myself.

I always make sure my device is properly sanitized before I start to roll it on my face. This is not a one night miracle, it’s a gradual process of skin transformation. Be patient, don’t skip step, and keep up good daily habits. You should always do what you feel is right, if you feel it’s not right for you, you should stop, if you see progress, be persistent.

Good luck, I wish you the best in achieving that beautiful skin we all wish for!

Source: consultingroom.com cosmeticlasermd.com cullendayspa.com dermagrace.com myfacemybody.com plasticsurgerypractice.com rnfaces.com sleeklaser.com